It was more a fulfillment of destiny than a surprise. It was coming for quite a while, it was just a matter of `when' and `where' it would happen.
The loose-lipped Zimbabwean spinner, Ray Price tossed up tantalizingly just after Brian Lara had completed his 22nd Test century; with the artistic grace of a seasoned ballerina he stroked the ball through covers and it ferociously romped to the ropes. His scored moved from 103 to 107, it was his 16th boundary of the innings and the issue was formalized in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Brian Charles Lara is now the highest West Indian runscorer in Test cricket. His aggregate stands at 8626, 86 runs clear of Sir Viv Richards, whose 8540 he overtook in the second Test against Zimbabwe. Lara, the unstoppable and incomparable Trinidadian, is 7th on the overall list of all batsmen to have played Test cricket. Only Steve Waugh (10,660) at number two and Sachin Tendulkar (8882) at number 5, are ahead of him among active players.
Among that list, which is headed by Australian strongman, Allan Border (11174) Lara has the unique distinction of being the only man to have not yet played 100 Test matches. He is still two off the mark at 98.
Lara's distinction, indeed his genius as a batsman has never been seriously questioned. In these parts he comes up for serious consideration as the finest of all to have ever walked to the crease.
That debate is, and will continue to be, ceaseless. What is indisputable is Lara's extraordinary numbers as he marched to his newest record.
The left hander has registered 22 triple-figure scores, inclusive of a certain former world record of 375 and four doubles.
Had he made that most recent 191 into his fifth double century he would have owned the record for the most doubles by a West Indian. The indomitable batsman currently shares it with dashing Barbadian opener Gordon Greenidge.
Lara has two of those doubles against big boys Australia and another couple against Sri Lanka. Two were scored in the West Indies while the other two were fashioned abroad, one `down under' and the other in Sri Lanka.
Only once did Lara score two centuries in one Test match but totalled more that 200 runs in nine matches, twice getting past 300. In addition to his 375 against England in Antigua, he made 351 against Sri Lanka when he made 221 and 130.
Lara has the third most centuries by a West Indian, with Sir Gary Sobers leading with 26 and Sir Viv second on 24.
Batting at number four on 103 occasions, Lara has compiled 5217 with 15 centuries and 25 half centuries.
At four, Lara's top effort was his majestic 277 at Sydney.
At number three, Lara has batted 56 times and made 2775 with six centuries and a dozen fifties. Batting one down his highest score is his nine-and-a-half year world record of 375 at the ARG which is the ground where he has scored most heavily.
At the ARG the Antiguan crowd witnessed him clobber 1228 at an average of 68.22, including three centuries and six fifties. In the West Indies, the batting maestro has played in 50 Tests and scored 4609 runs at an average of 56.90. Within the Caribbean, Lara has mastered ten centuries and 25 fifties.
The 34 year old's next favourite ground is the Kensington Oval in Barbados where the scorers counted 903 runs for him, calculated at an average of 47.52. At Kensington he has scored more half centuries than any other ground. He has seven there to add to that memorable unbeaten 153 against Australia in 1999 which was his only century on Bajan soil.
On three other grounds in the Caribbean Lara has scored more than 500 runs, Sabina Park (779), Queens Park Oval (778) and our own Bourda (548).
The Adelaide Oval in Australia is the overseas ground where he has produced most, getting 367 from three matches there at an average of 61.16.
In total, Lara has played 15 matches in Australia and has scored 1083 runs which is his most in any opposing territory. The West Indies captain also crossed the 1000 mark in England having totalled 1004 there from 11 matches. He took four centuries off the English in their own backyard and a similar number of fifties, but while he also made four half centuries in Australia he has one less century.
From only four matches in Sri Lanka the master left hander has 706 runs at a phenomenal average of 100.85 with his best efforts being 221, 178, 130 and 74.
That was two years ago when Lara made more than 1000 runs in a calendar year. He had 1151 with three tons and four fifties. Though Lara scored 996 runs in his recordbreaking year of 1994, his most productive year was in `95 when he raked in 1222 runs. That year he had four centuries and half a dozen fifties.
So far this year he has gone past 1000 runs for a third time. Lara finished the Zimbabwe series on 1054 and still has two more Tests to complete against South Africa before the year closes so he may very well outdo himself.
Those numbers, by any measure, positions the Prince of Port-of-Spain as one of the finest, if not the finest West Indian batsman of all time. Many have argued without relenting that those numbers make him a few notches better than the Master Blaster, Rohan Kanhai, Sir Everton Weekes and George Headley.
Numbers do not always tell the whole story but for Lara they sure do tell a hell of a tale.